Email Breakdown #58: Tonia Kendrick Welcome Flow Part 2

(NOTE: This is part of a series. Check out the previous entry here.)

In my last post, I showed you an excellent example of the first email in a welcome sequence. It greeted the reader, gave some brand background, and set expectations…

All with some personality and humor.

In email 2 of this sequence, we’ll see how Tonia follows up. 

Plenty to learn here, so grab your notepad and get your brain ready!

About Tonia Kendrick

Tonia Kendrick is a business coach specializing in helping female solopreneurs systematize their businesses and boost productivity overall.

I stumbled upon her site while looking for a way to store content ideas for my other business, Start Carnivore. 

I Googled “content ideas storage spreadsheet template,” and she was among the top few results. She had the best spreadsheet template, so I downloaded it in exchange for my email.

Lesson in there — she used this template as a lead magnet. I’ll talk more about that in the Takeaways section at the end.

The Email: Get The Reader to Take Action

Tonia’s second welcome flow email is fairly short, but there’s plenty to analyze:

Same general look at the first email — plain text, line breaks, and some light visuals to enhance readability.

Let’s get into each section…

The Subject Line: “[Email 2 of 4] a quick tip for {firstname}

The reader’s primed to look for this email because Tonia specifically said to look for the subject line “a quick tip for {firstname}”.

Tonia delivers exactly what’s promised:

Plus, the [Email 2 of 4] to confirm this is from Tonia and not an email from someone else who, by some insane coincidence, has the SAME subject line.

Notice the lower-case throughout the whole subject line post-brackets. Makes things feel personal and draws the eyes.

The Body Copy

The email starts with a casual greeting (plus a waving emoji, nice touch) and what I’ll call the “agreeable statement”:

An “agreeable statement” is a classic type of lead. It consists of a statement that most would agree with while also hinting at what the email will be about. 

Get the reader to agree to something fairly obvious and potentially useful, and they will probably read the next line.

In this case, the reader knows this email will be something about all the resources and learning the Internet offers. With the previous email’s context, they will also know it will link back to using the free resource they downloaded (the lead magnet).

Now, for the hook — Tonia spins the benefit of the Internet into a pain that resonates with the customer:

Everyone knows the pain of shiny object syndrome. Always chasing the next “shiny object” and then getting overloaded with decisions to make. But never making progress.

Using the term “shiny object syndrome” is smart because it’s precisely how this particular audience would describe this issue. Catchy phrases can convey a lot of meaning in a few words.

Also, that image is a GIF. Adds more visual appeal to the email while breaking up the text a bit.

Now, Tonia gets to the heart of the email — the quick tip promised in the subject line:

Simple but authoritative. Clear action steps. Every word has its role. Not a letter wasted.

Tonia isn’t suggesting that you do this. She’s telling you to. Customers sometimes want to be told what to do. They don’t want to do extra thinking — they want to listen to exactly what the expert says.

(Big lesson in there)

Plus, the most important words are bolded and italicized for emphasis and to draw eyes.

Tonia follows up with a tip about that last tip (whoah, meta):

The instructions are clear. Now the reader has an action to complete after reading this email.

Notice how Tonia didn’t have a link to book a call or anything like that. That’s fine — the action this email encourages is to use the freebie. Anything clicking through to a website would overwhelm the reader, defeating the point of the email.

We get an encouraging sign-off:

Like in the first email, Tonia includes a signature block. It’s got a headshot, her name, her website, etc.

Enhances readability and keeps her branding in front of the reader.

Oh wait, we’ve got a PS as well:

I (partially) lied. Tonia does encourage another action. But it complements the main action of using the freebie because it involves the freebie.

See, by urging replies about whether the reader’s worked through the freebie or at least scheduled time to do so, it psychologically nudges the reader toward doing it. 

People want to be part of the conversation, and so they’ll do what she tells them to do in order to be able to respond to her. Clever move on Tonia’s part.

Plus, replies = improved deliverability and stronger customer relationships.

Takeaways

Here are some big takeaways:

1. The Copy Mechanics

Like the first email, the biggest takeaways here are writing like you talk and, relatedly, using some personality to relate to the reader.

Beyond that, light visuals don’t necessarily hurt an email. A GIF thrown in for humor and a headshot in your signature can work quite well.

One other key mechanical takeaway: 

Sounding authoritative.

Notice how Tonia doesn’t ask the reader to use the lead magnet. She tells them to. And she doesn’t condition her instructions with phrases like “consider using” or “try using.” 

After all, the reader is looking to her as the authority in organizing and systematizing their business. They want to be told what to do (nicely, of course). They want to hear confidence, as the expert is supposed to be there to guide them.

People trust experts/authorities more if they tell, not ask.

2. The Email Structure

Our email here generally follows a Problem Agitation Solution framework:

• Problem: Shiny object syndrome.
• Agitation: We grab too many shiny objects but never do anything and never get anywhere.
• Solution: Take a small step — use the freebie or even just schedule a time to use it.

However, the lead is a benefit that doubles as an agreeable statement. A classic way to craft an email lead.

3. The Overall Strategy

Part 2 of Tonia’s welcome series tries to get the reader to use the lead magnet in order to achieve the benefit/result that they desire.

The point?

Prove to the reader that Tonia knows what she’s talking about and offers valuable help… without any risk on the reader’s part. 

The reader didn’t have to buy the lead magnet, and yet they improved their business. That establishes trust in the brand and impresses the reader.

“Wow, I can achieve this result for free??? I wonder just how much I can accomplish by buying one of her paid products…”

That’s the idea.

What to Do Next

1. Get on my email list using the signup form below for more Email Breakdowns and other helpful marketing content.
2. Reach out to me if you want help writing emails like this one.
3. Share this post with someone who would find it helpful or insightful.
4. Check out Tonia Kendrick if you need help organizing, systematizing, and streamlining your business!